Chilli Garlic Potatoes

Everyone loves potatoes prepared in some way, shape or form. My Chilli Garlic Potatoes celebrate this love for the world's most-consumed veggie in a spicy, mouth-watering, delectable fashion. Pop one of these delicious, cute-looking baby potatoes into your mouth and savor the succulent, ambrosial flavors of the myriad spices blending with the soft, fuzzy warmth of the baby potatoes. These Chilli Garlic Potatoes are awesome as appetizers or as side dishes - you can have them as a snack or serve at dinner, stir them up quickly on days that you are feeling too lazy to do intense cooking, rustle them at a moment's notice when guests come over unexpectedly, or easily make them in large quantites to serve as starters or as a side dish at parties.

I love to tinker around in the kitchen to invent recipes that are quick & easy & delicious, and Chilli Garlic Potatoes is one of my favorite creations. I created Chilli Garlic Potatoes on the similar lines as my Stir-fried Vegetables recipe, and have their worth proven everytime when my hubby, a self-proclaimed potato-avoider, goes gaga over this dish. In my recipe, I ensure that the spices stick on to the baby potatoes, such that the potatoes are thoroughly coated in spices even while serving - it makes them look so much more tempting and tastes so much better than having to scoop up the spicy mix separately from the bottom of the serving platter. Only one word of warning before you dive into the recipe, make a lot of these little cuties - don't be surprised when everybody comes back for seconds... or thirds :)

CHILLI  GARLIC  POTATOES  RECIPE

Serves : 2

Ingredients:
10 - 12 Baby Potatoes
1 tbsp minced fresh Garlic; peeled
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp White Vinegar
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes or to taste
1 tsp Hot Chilli Sauce or to taste (I used Sriracha)
2 tbsp chopped Spring Onion greens; for garnishing
1/2 cup Water
2 tsp Corn Starch

How to make Chilli Potatoes 

1. Boil the potatoes with salt until just fork-tender. Peel the potatoes. Keep aside.
2. Mix corn starch in 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat.
4. Add garlic & salt and saute until the garlic is light brown in color.
5. Add soy sauce, hot chilli sauce, vinegar & cornstarch mixture. Mix well.
6. Add boiled potatoes & red chilli flakes. Mix well & cook till the sauce becomes thick enough to coat the potatoes.
7. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot with rice or noodles, or as an appetizer.

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Chana Chaat / Chickpea Salad

Chana Chaat (Chickpea Salad) is a lip-smacking, tangy, savory and delightfully light salad that will forever change your perception of veggie salads as a boring, tasteless necessity on the dinner table. It is made of boiled chickpeas tossed together with veggies and flavorful Indian spices. Like yin and yang, the soft chickpeas balance perfectly against the peppy, punchy attributes of the other ingredients and spices; the contradictory interactions create a richness of texture and flavors that will knock your socks off with the first spoonful. Chana chaat can be served as a snack or as an appetizer, or even as a brunch dish or a party starter. To add to its versatility, this zesty dish can be served both warm & cold.

Chana Chaat is wonderfully quick and easy to make - so much so that boiling the chickpeas is the "hardest" step (& you can use canned chickpeas if you are feeling too lazy to do even that). Like all veggie salads, Chana Chaat is also super-nutritious and healthy - chickpeas are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and are a great source of dietary fiber, protein and other minerals. You can also add crushed, crispy semolina wafers (Golgappa / papdi) to give a crunchy twist to this potpourri of flavors. Either way you like to serve it, this is one tangy dish that you would want to make again & again :)

CHANA  CHAAT  RECIPE / CHICKPEA  SALAD RECIPE

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup Dry Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans (Kabuli Chana); See tip #1

1/2 cup finely chopped Onion

1/2 cup finely chopped Tomatoes

1 medium-size Potato (optional); peeled, boiled & cut into 1" cubes

1" fresh Ginger; peeled & julienned

2 Serrano Green Chillies or to taste (optional); destemmed & finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper (Red Chilli Powder) or to taste

1 tsp Chaat Masala; available in Indian Grocery Stores

1 1/2 tbsp fresh Lemon Juice   

1/2 tsp Black Salt

Salt To taste

5-6 Pani Puri or Papdis (optional); crushed (available in Indian Grocery stores)

2 tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro (Coriander) leaves

How to make Chana Chaat / Chickpea Salad

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain the water. Pressure cook the chickpeas with 3 cups of water & salt until the chickpeas are cooked but still have a bite to them.
2. Drain the water from the chickpeas.
3. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, onion, potato, green chillies, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, chaat masala & black salt. Add lemon juice & tomatoes. Gently mix. Adjust seasoning as per taste.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle crushed papdis/puris (optional) over the Chickpeas. Garnish with ginger & cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

TIPS:

1. You can also use canned chickpeas, in which case skip step #1 mentioned above.
2. Using potatoes is optional. If you are health-conscious, feel free to skip it (as I did!).

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Broccoli, Cheese, Avocado, Jalapeno Stuffed Puff Pastry

Broccoli, Cheese, Avocado, Jalapeno stuffed Puff Pastry is a scrumptious, delectable snack with wafery crispiness and succulent filling of broccoli, avocado, jalapeno peppers, cheddar cheese & hot chilli sauce. As a kid, I used to love veggie puff pastry more dearly than a long-lost sister - at the end of every school day, I would pop into the nearby bakery to buy these delectable pastries & then sit munching contentedly on my bus seat as the school bus took me home. It was pure bliss to bite into the crispy flakiness of the puffy outer shell and savor the delightful flavors of myriad veggies, so this time I wanted to invent the best-tasting veggie puff pastry that would let me re-live those moments. Taking a cue from the recipe written on my Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry pack, I used broccoli, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, avocado & hot chilli sauce as my Puff pastry filling which resulted in exactly the heavenly-tasting veggie pastry creation that I was looking to achieve, so sharing my recipe with all of you to take a bite of pastry love :) I love making it spicy owing to my Indian heritage, but feel free to alter the quantity of hot sauce to suit your taste.

Broccoli, Cheese, Avocado & Jalapeno Stuffed Puff Pastry is perfect for those of us that relish enjoying tea with something that has more pizzazz than a bunch of dry crackers. They look intricate, but are surprisingly easy to make. Whip these up at a party or when your kids are saying no to every edible option in sight, and you'll find these cuties disappearing faster than you can pull them out of the oven. At least, my hubby certainly did make them vanish - these hardly lasted five minutes after the pics were taken :) Enjoy!

Broccoli, Cheese, Avocado, Jalapeno Stuffed Puff Pastry Recipe

Makes : 9 Puff Pastries

Ingredients:

2 Sheets of Puff Pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)

1 Avocado; halved, pitted

1 cup chopped Broccoli

1/3 Cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or to taste

2 Jalapenos or to taste; seeded & chopped

1/4 cup hot chilli sauce or to taste (I used Sriracha)

Salt to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

1 egg

water

How to make Broccoli, Cheese, Avocado & Jalapeno Stuffed Puff Pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Thaw pastry sheets for about 20 mins.
3. In the meantime, cook broccoli in boiling, salted water until almost tender. Drain, refresh in cold water & set aside.
4. Scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon. Coarsely mash the avocado flesh and keep aside.
5. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface/countertop. With a knife or pizza cutter, slice into 9 (2 inch by 2 inch) squares.  Repeat with the other pastry sheet, making 18 squares in all. Out of these 18 squares, 9 will be used for filling while the remaining 9 will be used as covers/lids.
6. Take a square, place 1 tbsp of avocado in the square's center, then on top of avocado place 7-8 broccoli pieces, then some jalapeno pieces, then some cheddar cheese and top with 1 tsp of chilli sauce. Season with salt & pepper. Moisten the edges of the square with water. Repeat the process for the remaining 8 squares.
7. Use the remaining 9 unfilled squares as lids & place one lid over each of the 9 filled squares. Seal the pastry edges well by pressing the edges with a fork repeatedly such that no filling escapes during baking.
8. In a small bowl, beat the egg and 1 tbsp of water with a fork or whisk. Brush all the pastries lightly with the egg mixture.
9. Place the sealed pastries onto the baking sheets.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Watch them regularly after 10 minutes in case your oven is hotter or your brand of puffed pastry cooks faster.
11. Remove from the oven & serve.

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Chilli Paneer

Chilli Paneer (Spicy Cottage Cheese) is a lip-smacking, tongue-tantalizing, mouthwatering exotic dish that will drown your taste buds in a sea of spicy & provocative flavors. Made of paneer (cottage cheese) stir-fried in a saucy mix of peppers & onions, this delectable dish is anything but subtle - its kaleidoscope of hot & spicy flavors is thoroughly complemented by its colorful looks that makes it a feast for your stomach, eyes, senses & soul! Oh, and makes it a great party dish to wow your guests. Another great thing about Chilli Paneer is its versatility - its drier version can be served as a snack or appetizer, or one can add sauce to the dish and make it a delicious side dish that goes very well with noodles or rice.

Chilli Paneer's awesome taste belie its amazingly simple preparation - you would think that something that tastes so good would need a lot of hard work - however, it requires little effort & uses basic and easily available ingredients. Chilli Paneer belongs to the Indo-Chinese cuisine - this food category is the Indian adaptation of the cuisines of its neighbor. It is one of the most popular appetizers in India & is a top menu item in all Indian restaurants. Time to try it & find out why Chilli Paneer is so well-loved by so many people :) 

(The below recipe is for the dry version of Chilli Paneer to serve as snack/appetizer, see Tips to prepare as a side dish to serve with rice/noodles).

Chilli Paneer (Dry Version) Recipe

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer (Cottage Cheese); cut into 1" cubes

1/2 cup cubed Green Bell Peppper (Capsicum); cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup cubed Red Bell Peppper (Capsicum); cut into 1" pieces

1/2 cup cubed Onions; cut into 1" pieces, layers separated

2 Serrano Green Chillies or to taste; destemmed & chopped

1/4 cup chopped Spring Onion greens; for garnishing

1 1/2 tbsp minced Garlic; peeled

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp Red Chili paste (I use Sambal OeleK) or to taste
Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

For Marination:

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Garlic paste

1 tsp Chilli paste

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Corn starch / Corn flour

3 tbsp Oil

How to make Chilli Paneer

1. In large bowl, toss all the Marination ingredients (except oil). Add very little water, enough to make a thick paste. Add Cottage Cheese & mix again till all pieces are evenly coated with the marination mixture. Let it marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Shallow-fry the marinated cottage cheese (in batches) on all sides till golden brown. (Please be careful while shallow-frying as the oil might sputter). Drain on absorbent paper & keep it aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another non-stick pan/wok. Add garlic & sauté for 30 seconds.
4. Add the onion & saute till translucent. Add bell peppers & chillies and sauté till bell pepper is cooked but crunchy.
5. Add soy sauce, red chilli paste & salt. Mix well. 
6. Reduce the heat. Add cottage cheese & toss such that the paneer is well coated with the sauces. 
7. Chilli Paneer is now ready. Transfer it to a bowl.
8. Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot immediately.

Tips:
If you want to serve as a side dish along with rice or noodles, mix 1 tbsp of corn starch in 1/2 cup of water/vegetable stock till smooth. Add the corn starch mixture after step # 7 & cook on high heat, stirring till the sauce is thick enough to coat the Cottage Cheese & the vegetables.

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Baked Spiced Chickpeas

Are you snack-addicted but weight-obsessed? Not to worry, Baked Spiced Chickpeas to the rescue! This tangy, yummy, crunchy, munchy fun snack hits the mark perfectly in fulfilling your snack cravings with a nutritious, guilt-free food that would make your health examiner proud. These delicious golden-brown, spice-coated pearls are great for snacking anytime & anywhere, & super-addictive too! Satisfy those hunger pangs between meals, have them in the evening with a cuppa tea or coffee, serve them in parties or on game days, or take them along for an outing on picnics or road trips. 

Baked Spiced Chickpeas have a simple & effortless preparation - it takes less than an hour between the time you dream of making them and popping them into your mouth. Another great thing about these delicious crunchies is that they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days, so you can prepare them in batches & consume at will. If you are still not ready to throw out that chips packet (really?), then consider the health benefits - chickpeas are a great source of protein and dietary fibers, and very low in saturated fats & cholesterol. I could go on extolling the virtues of this great snack, but it seems that I have run out of this "fun"chy snack - you didn't think I could be writing about them without resisting the urge to snack on these delicious munchies ;) Time for me to make some more, & time for you to make some too ... happy munching :) 

BAKED  CHICKPEAS  RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup Dry Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans (Kabuli Chana), see Tip #1

1 tbsp fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Ginger Powder

1 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Garam Masala; see tip #4

1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Red Chilli Powder), or to taste

Salt to taste

How to make Baked Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana Namkeen)

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain the water. Pressure cook the chickpeas with 3 cups of water & salt until the chickpeas are soft but still retain their shape.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place the chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat them gently with another clean kitchen towel until they are completely dry (Remove as much moisture as possible to achieve maximum crunch). Let the chickpeas air-dry for half an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. In a small bowl, add sugar, ginger powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, black pepper, salt & cayenne pepper. Mix & keep aside.
5. In a large bowl add dry chickpeas. Drizzle oil & lemon juice. Mix well. Sprinkle spice mixture over the chickpeas & toss until all the chickpeas are evenly coated with the spices.
6. Spread the chickpea mixture in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chickpeas are dark brown in spots, almost crunchy, and have shrunk quite a bit. Stir the chickpeas halfway through the baking time with a wooden spoon. Watch chickpeas in the last few minutes carefully to avoid burning.
8. Cool to room temperature before serving.
9. Store in an airtight container & enjoy :)

Tips:

1. You can also use canned chickpeas, in which case skip step #1 mentioned above.
2. The chickpeas may appear slightly soft after baking. Do not overcook as the chickpeas will eventually harden & become crunchier & more crispy after cooling to room temperature .
3. If you do not like spicy chickpeas, reduce or omit cayenne pepper. 
4. All the above spices are easily available in any Indian Grocery Store.

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Vegetable Cutlets

Vegetable Cutlets are scrumptious, flavorful patties made of a mixture of veggies and spices coated with bread crumbs and shallow-fried into gorgeous-looking golden-brown patties. The bread crumbs provide a crispy outer layer that thoroughly complements the soft, succulent inside filling made of potatoes, beans, carrots, peas, creating a tempting combination that is both delicious and nutritious. In addition, my recipe bestows a zingy, punchy savoriness to the cutlet, and would leave you wondering what you've been missing all these years :)

These appetizing Vegetable Cutlets are quick and easy to make, and can be enjoyed steaming-hot on their own with tomato ketchup or with Green Chutney (Cilantro-Mint Dipping Sauce), or packed in a bun and consumed as a veggie burger. They are the perfect snack for chilly & rainy days, and best enjoyed with a hot cuppa tea or coffee as you bite into their lip-smacking goodness. Kids love them too, so they are great for getting kids to get their daily diet of veggies. So if you have a bag of potatoes at home & veggies lying around in your fridge, it's time to get busy :)

VEGETABLE  CUTLETS  RECIPE

Makes : 8 Pcs

Ingredients:

2 large-size Potatoes; peeled & boiled

1/4 cup Green Peas (fresh or frozen); blanched & coarsely mashed

8 French Beans; ends trimmed, chopped

1/3 cup chopped Carrot; peeled

1" fresh Ginger; peeled & minced

1/3 cup finely chopped Onion

3-4 Serrano Green Chillies or to taste; destemmed & finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Cilantro (Coriander) leaves
Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Red Chilli Powder) or to taste; optional

1 tsp fresh Lemon juice

2 tbsp Bread Crumbs

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs for coating

2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour (Maida)

Water
Oil as required

How to make Vegetable Cutlets

1. Boil the veggies (carrots & beans) with enough water until soft. Drain the water thoroughly. Let the veggies cool down. Squeeze the veggies with your hands to remove the excess water. Mash the veggies coarsely & keep aside.
2. Once the boiled potatoes have cooled down, mash them well in a large bowl. 
3. Add the veggies, peas, ginger, onion, cayenne pepper, cilantro leaves, green chillies, lemon juice & 2 tbsp bread crumbs to the mashed potatoes. Mix them well. Add salt & mix again. 
4. Divide the mixture into equal portions and form into balls. Take a ball in your palm, gently flatten the ball into a round patty. Keep aside. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining balls.
5. In a separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour with enough water to make a thin paste. Ensure there are no lumps. Keep aside.
6. Spread the 1/2 cup breadcrumbs on a plate.
7. Dip a patty in the all-purpose flour paste. Quickly take it out & roll it in the breadcrumbs such that all sides get evenly coated. Keep it aside in a separate plate. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining patties.
8. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Shallow-fry the patties 3-4 at a time till both sides turn golden in color.  Drain on absorbent paper. Add more oil to pan if necessary.
9. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or Green Chutney.

TIPS:

1. You can deep-fry the patties if you are making in bulk as it saves time. Also, deep-frying gives a better look to the patties as it uniformly cooks the outer layer.
2. If you like eggs, you can use beaten egg instead of all-purpose flour paste.
3. You can form the patties into different shapes - such as oval shape or heart shape.

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Baked Cauliflower

Baked Cauliflower is a savory, delectable, tangy dish that transforms the bland cauliflower into a flavorful, exotic delicacy. It is amazing how the quick and simple process of adding the right seasoning and spices and baking for a few minutes yields such an appetizing outcome. The dry spices find their way into every nook & cranny of the Cauliflower florets and cling onto the baked golden florets like little brown specks of gold, simultaneously soaking into the entire dish but also standing out in their full glory. This creates a magical effect that is reflected in the sophisticated looks of the dish as well as in the superlative, scrumptious taste of the Baked Cauliflower that you will feel in every bite of this delicacy as mildly crunchy yet delicately soft floret is swallowed, leaving behind a flavorful after-taste in the mouth that lingers on long after the entire dish is consumed.

Owing to their great taste & exquisite looks, Baked Cauliflower can be used as a delectable, somewhat-filling snack with a cuppa tea or coffee, as a sophisticated side dish at the dinner table or at parties, or even as entrees - they pair up really well with Indian flatbreads such as Parathas. In whatever manner you choose to serve this dish, make sure to keep a bowl of Cilantro-Mint Chutney alongside - the piquant taste of the Cilantro-Mint Chutney perfectly complements the spicy flavors of the Baked Cauliflower and quadruples the taste. So if you always looked away from the cauliflower pining away in a corner of your fridge when you were wondering what to cook for dinner, now you don't need to ... try this delicious Baked Cauliflower dish and make Cauliflower you new best veggie buddy :)

BAKED CAULIFLOWER (WITH INDIAN SPICES) RECIPE

SERVES : 2-3

INGREDIENTS:
1 head Cauliflower; cut into bite-size florets
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
½ tsp ground Black Pepper
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper (Red Chilli Powder), or to taste; optional
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi); lightly roasted in a pan & ground to a fine powder (see tip 1)
½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
½ tsp Dry Ginger Powder
1½ tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)

Lemon wedges for serving

How to make Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Spices

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place the rack in the centre of the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except cauliflower). Add the florets and using your hands, gently toss to coat such that every individual floret is coated evenly with spices.
3. Spread the cauliflower pieces onto the baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the stems are tender, and the edges are browned. Turn the cauliflower florets midway through roasting.
4. Remove from oven. Adjust the seasoning as per your taste.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot with lemon wedges & cilantro-mint chutney or as a side dish.

Tips:

Dried Fenugreek Leaves, Dry Mango Powder, Garam Masala Powder & Dry Ginger Powder are easily available in Indian Grocery Stores.

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